Stage Set for Showdown Between CJP and Police; Delhi Under Thick Blanket of Security

The stage is set for a massive showdown between the Cockroach Janata Party and the Delhi Police. The CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, his spokesperson Saurav Das, and others would be landing in Delhi at 10 am. Some CJP activists have reached the Delhi airport to receive them.

Meanwhile, Delhi police have made unprecedented security arrangements, with around 26000 police and paramilitary personnel deployed across the city. The police have been taking many activists, particularly those with criminal backgrounds, into preventive custody. They have been shifted to 13 detention centres. It may be recalled that when CJP protested at Jantar Mantar in July, the police detected that over 2800 people with criminal backgrounds had participated in the protest, leading to violence.

The entire Jantar Mantar area and Central Delhi have been completely sealed. Police have advised Delhiites not to come to central Delhi until evening. All Metro stations have been closed, and only passenger interchange at these stations is permitted. Over 200 trains from across the country are said to have been cancelled.

So far there is no crowd at Jantar Mantar, but some high drama is expected after Dipke and his followers land in Delhi. Heavy checking at all entry and exit points of Delhi is being done, and not just for private vehicles or commercial vehicles; even those coming on foot are being put under surveillance.

According to DCP Anant Mittal, "Special security arrangements are in place at inter-state and inter-district borders. We are preventing unauthorised elements from entering New Delhi and checking them. Our effort is to ensure that everything remains peaceful and law and order is maintained."

Police personnel have also been equipped with body cameras to record any instances of manhandling or physical altercations during the demonstration. Railway stations have also been put under drone surveillance.

The New Delhi district has been divided into 20 zones for close monitoring by senior police officers, including joint commissioners, deputy commissioners and additional deputy commissioners. Special commissioners heading various units are also keeping a close watch on developments.

However, the CJP activists feel that this is a panic reaction by the government. Talking to media persons at the airport, some of the CJP activists who went there to receive Dipke said that there was “Tanashahi” in Delhi. But they refuse to accept that they did not follow the rule of applying for permission 10 days in advance, nor are they willing to acknowledge the violence that had taken place in July.

All that they keep repeating is that protest is their fundamental right. True, but they ignore the next clause, which says with reasonable restrictions.

It may be mentioned here that during the UPA regime, when Anna Hazare protested, Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha said, such protests are “Dangerous precedent to society.” The then PM Manmohan Singh said such protests would lead to “Economic progress being hijacked and the then Union Minister P Chidambaram said, “Neither such protests were utterly wrong.”

When the opposition parties during the regime of Indira Gandhi took to the streets to protest, she said, “These were the people who were destroying democracy.” When further questioned, she took a jibe, saying, “I am sorry you people have short memory. Those who could not win the election say we must take the battle to the streets. Morarji Desai is on record in an interview saying we are going to surround the PM's house so that she cannot come out.”

But the same opposition feels that it is their fundamental right to protest and that they don’t need any permission and that the government was behaving in an autocratic manner.

Meanwhile, the authorities are monitoring social media platforms for attempts to mobilise people for the protest. Liquor shops across Delhi will remain closed on Saturday as a precautionary measure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gowri V

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A Journey of Three Decades Time passes faster than we realise. What feels like a journey that began only yesterday has today grown into more than three decades of a meaningful and fulfilling life devoted to education, journalism, and the empowerment of young minds. My professional journey began with journalism training in New Delhi in 1979. I went on to work as an independent journalist, drawing on my fluency in both English and Telugu. Over the years, I have edited and worked on Telugu articles in both languages, an experience that strengthened my command of language and sharpened my understanding of society, people, and contemporary issues. Yet, my principal profession and enduring passion have always been teaching. My decision to become a teacher was not merely a career choice—it was a calling. Teaching offered me the rare privilege of inspiring young minds, guiding them through their formative years, and making a lasting difference in their lives. I found immense satisfaction in simplifying complex concepts, nurturing curiosity, encouraging independent thought, and building confidence among students. Every moment in the classroom—every question, every moment of discovery, and every spark of understanding—reminded me why I had chosen this path: to empower young people through knowledge, values, and essential life skills. My teaching career began at the grassroots level as a Montessori teacher and gradually progressed to the position of Vice Principal. I had the opportunity to work in reputed educational institutions, including Dilsukhnagar Public School in Hyderabad, where I shouldered both teaching and administrative responsibilities. Although I have always considered myself, at heart, a teacher, my administrative experience enabled me to understand and contribute to the education system from a much broader perspective. For my students, I have always tried to be an approachable and dependable presence—someone they could turn to not only for academic support, but also for guidance and emotional encouragement. At the same time, I developed a reputation as a firm disciplinarian who believed that integrity, fairness, responsibility, and discipline were fundamental to education. I was also consistently appreciated for maintaining clear communication with parents and staff and for ensuring that examinations and other academic processes were conducted with transparency, fairness, and efficiency. As my career progressed, however, I began to feel that academic education alone was not enough. This realization led me to work more closely with students following the SSC and CBSE curricula, while consciously bringing life-skills education into my teaching. I came to understand that education becomes truly meaningful when it prepares children not merely to pass examinations, but to face life. Teaching emotional resilience, self-reliance, social awareness, communication, decision-making, and other practical life skills often had a deeper and more lasting impact than academic achievement alone. I saw how these skills could help students navigate challenges with greater confidence, maturity, and responsibility. My academic background provided a strong foundation for this approach. My degree in Psychology from the University of Madras helped me develop a deeper understanding of young people's minds, their emotional needs, and the influence of their family and social environments. My M.A. in Telugu with First Class from Osmania University.

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